Media Factsheet: Singapore Brings Over 200 Hours of Quality Film and TV Content to China International Film & TV Programmes Exhibition

SINGAPORE, Aug. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) will lead eight Singapore media companies to the 12th edition of the China International Film & TV Programmes Exhibition (CIFTPE), to be held in Beijing from 21 to 23 August 2014. CIFTPE is a key Chinese trade market for foreign and domestic films, television dramas, documentaries and animation shows and is well attended by China’s top film and television companies.

More than 200 hours of quality Singapore films and TV programmes will be on showcase, spanning a wide range of genres from action, thriller and comedy films to television documentaries, food travelogues and lifestyle infotainment programmes that will appeal to Chinese audiences.

These will be exhibited at the 63-square-metre Singapore Pavilion at the Beijing Exhibition Centre (booth 12-15, Beijing Exhibition Centre Level 1, Hall 12).

Quality Singapore Film and TV Content debuts at CIFTPE

One Singapore television drama and two films and are slated to make their market debut at CIFTPE.

The Place We Live In, produced by August Pictures, is a television documentary on the people who lives in extraordinary places such as public cemetery and sewers, braving tough living conditions. August Pictures is currently in talks with a China distributor, which expressed interest in the series and other titles by August Pictures, to tie down a distribution deal.

Scout Pictures’ latest work In Time To Come, a film currently in development, is a comedy-drama about the friendship between three childhood friends, which fell apart as they chase after their individual dreams, forcing them to make a difficult choice between success and friendship. Scout Pictures will be in discussion with some Chinese film companies to firm up collaborations on co-financing and/or distribution.

Five to Nine, a film which comprises four short films from China, Singapore, Thailand and Japan, investigates what goes on between 5pm to 9am during the World Cup season in each country. Directed by Vincent Du (China), Tay Bee Pin (Singapore), Rasiguet Sookkarn (Thailand) and Daisuke Miyazaki (Japan) respectively, the film is currently in pre-production and is slated to complete by early next year.

Singapore broadcaster MediaCorp continues its foray into China market, bringing 50% more hours of content to be marketed at CIFTPE

MediaCorp will also be debuting its upcoming Chinese blockbuster drama The Journey: Tumultuous Times, about how the offspring of early Chinese immigrants to Singapore survived difficult times from the 1940s – 1960s, including the Japanese occupation.

The drama is the second part of a trilogy, with the first being The Journey: A Voyage which made its successful debut at last year’s CIFTPE with its lead cast Desmond Tan.

This year, the cast of The Journey: Tumultuous Times, which includes A-list MediaCorp stars Li Nan Xing, Desmond Tan, Romeo Tan and Carrie Wong will also lend star appeal to the debut of drama in China.

A wide selection of Chinese dramas and infotainment programmes will also be marketed by MediaCorp at this year’s CIFTPE. This includes drama World At Your Feet, a soccer themed show on family and friendship; as well as infotainment series Small Spaces, a magazine style variety programme which shows audiences how to make amazing use of limited space in an apartment.

MediaCorp typically sells around 150 hours of dramas for TV broadcast to China per year, and about 400 hours of Chinese content for new media broadcast.

Singapore Pavilion Highlights

Other local film content offerings at the Singapore Pavilion include Brainchild Pictures’ and mm2 Entertainment’s Wayang Boy, a film about an Indian boy who joins a traditional Wayang (Chinese Opera) troupe; Scout Pictures’ My Son’sWedding, a drama-comedy about an ex-singer who hires a famous child medium to find a bride for her late son; and Banting, a story about a young woman who fights for her dream of becoming a professional wrestler by Papahan films.

Local TV programmes on showcase includes August Picture’s Home, a documentary which looks at traditional dwellings in Singapore, China and other Asian countries. The series was recently won the Best Televised Series (People, Places & Arts) at the 2014 CINE Golden Eagle Awards. On showcase is also Monstrou Studio’s Halal Galore: China, a Halal food travelogue series filmed entirely in China.

For more information on the participating companies at the Singapore Pavilion, please refer to Annex A. For information on the content that will be showcased, please refer to Annex B.

About Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA)

The Media Development Authority of Singapore (www.mda.gov.sg) promotes the growth of globally competitive film, television, radio, publishing, games, animation and interactive digital media industries. It also regulates the media sector to safeguard the interests of consumers, and promotes a connected society. MDA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Communications and Information (www.mci.gov.sg).